First stop was Little Amsterdam Cafe for lunch.

After lunch we made our way to Broughton Castle where we enjoyed the landscape views and a visit to the Parish Church of St Mary Broughton with North Newington before the castle was open for visiting.

During our visit we enjoyed a pleasant conversation with the eldest son of the current Baron of Saye and Sele (owner of Broughton Castle) and also a brief encounter with the Baron himself.

We arrived home to find a couple of unexpected visitors!

Links to my previous posts about Broughton Castle and Banbury:

• Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross
• A Day Trip to Banbury
• Broughton Castle
• Broughton Castle – Interior
• The Chapel – Broughton Castle
• The Garden – Broughton Castle
• Lunch in Little Amsterdam

Undoubtedly the majestic Water Terraces on the west front are a major part of the 9th Duke’s outstanding legacy to the Palace. A remarkable 20th century achievement, they have been compared to  the Parterre d’Eau at Versailles. The Duke took his inspiration from Bernini whose river-gods fountain, now on the lower terrace, is a scale model of the original in Rome’s Piazza Navona.*

In 1929 when the work was virtually complete, the 9th Duke wrote: “Pray tell Monsieur Duchene that the ensemble of the terraces is magnificent and in my judgement far superior to the work done by Le Notre at Versailles. The proportion of the house, the terrace and the lake is perfect.”*

I shall finish with a picture from my previous visit to Blenheim, which was in 2004.  It was taken from the top of the slope in the picture above, looking back down on the water terrace. Where do all those years go?

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014